I succumbed to a panini with two types of cheese, tomato and bacon for lunch yesterday. You can tell at least there is no butter on the bread which is great, and I abstained from dessert. I went to my workout after work, driving in the snow which was heavier than I thought. I foolishly took the highway and was gripping the steering wheel hard, it was a bit scary.Fortunately I got home with no issue, and for extra exercise I shoveled the snow right then as I was already sweaty. I ate my lunch salad for dinner and felt quite full but later was so hungry again I had to get a snack which put me over my limit. I treated myself to exactly 4 small chocolate dove hearts. I'm thinking that may be a way to avoid eating the chocolate cake etc-if I'm really craving chocolate i can keep some at work and bring home 4 pieces only each night. I feel like it will be more of an issue in the winter anyhow, not so much in the spring. Kerfuffle with DD and then make up, and that was enough for the day. Today I'm signing my will etc with my lawyer after work so at least that is getting done.
Maryann-good attitude for the weigh in. I have to brace myself for that too.
Onebyone-wow, that gas line is scary. Hopefully that is not going to be a thing indeed.
Bill-I haven't seen St. Patrick's day candy, that is ridiculous!

I had an unusually low hunger day, yesterday. In the long distant past, those were overeating days. That seems counter-intuitive but I grew up with the notion that a good appetite was a sign of good health and that appetites should be tempted when they were low. I took that as permission to eat whatever sounded good.

I’m grateful that a low-hunger day, now, means eating a little less. Not a lot less, because I’ve gone too far in the direction of undereating in the last few years, too. It’s a balance, for me, and I’m happy to have discovered how to make that work for myself.

Exercise: 60, 180/1800 minutes for March

onebyone: This is the first time that I’ve heard of line-ups at the pumps. But it’s very hard to keep track of all the news, right now. I’m getting gas today, so we’ll see what that experience is like.

Coaches,

My trainer started me on more free weights. It was very exciting to me to learn how to do each exercise precisely right. The reps are few with the weight heavy, but the trainer is there shadowing the correct movement. I love it. I am incredibly sore this morning.

Staples are out of my knee and I enjoyed speaking at the far off meeting but another late night. Up early for gym. I feel a nap today.

Money- Saving March:
1. I had $22.00 left on a William Sonoma gift card from Xmas. I went to the outlet before the meeting. The prices even at the outlet were ridiculous. 1600 for a set of bedsheets "marked down to" $800. WHAT????? a silk flower arrangement was $695 "slashed" to $350. I scoured the store for something I needed and that was reasonable. Finally, I remembered I needed a chicken cutting board. Ta-da. A pretty large green board came out to $22.57. the store had no money so I had to put .57 on the my card.
2. I sold a set of 6 storage baskets that I have had for 32 years for $30.00 on Facebook. I met the very cute gal who was thrilled to have them. She was setting up her first apartment. Yeah for sustainable endeavours.

Curly: I did the exact same thing as you. I jumped out of my car after a work out and did and an hour of bush pruning in the front yard. I figured I was already dirty. Boy it wiped me out physically for the day after the doing the gym, It feels so good to have started, though.
BBE: My all time favorite SNL skit of Americans going to to visit their "Irish Homeland." .

Wave to all.

Coaches:

I'm trying to get on plan and still falling short. My appetite is huge right now. I am still trying to get answers about the Mounjaro prescription and where it's at. I have no clue whether my endocrinologist has received the form, sent the form to the insurance or hasn't filled it out yet. I left a phonecall this morning at the office and email yesterday. Tomorrow I'll check in with the insurance. Maybe they can clue me in.

Today I did dishes twice. Still thrilled to do dishes.

I also made a.tiny start on the clean up. The chaise is clear of things. Two boxes do remain but they will dovetail into tomorrow's work.

This morning the garbage man took the metal pieces of what used to be my l shaped desk. He also took my torn black velvet Elvis painting. That makes me sad. But it was torn. I had to let it go. I'm hoping the spirit of letting go brows in me this week. I'd like to get this place cleared by Official Spring March 20th I believe.

The scale was up today. I sat around too much again today. I have little energy. The weather outside was wonderful. Very Spring. 6C and sun. Howe er we are due form another cold snap next week. I know better than to believe it's spring. It's not. Not until another month goes by.

Anyway time for bed.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Morning exercise shoveling snow, CREDIT moi. Some ice on top with much water in the snow. Only had to get it cleared enough for the predicted warm day to finish the job. Afternoon temps reached 56 deg F; watched young folks jogging in Spring clothing.

The (10 yo) DGD was a treat. There was a spill to which she jumped to clean it up noting that she'd tell her mom so she could decide it the rug needed further work. The three of us built structures using a set of 200 KEVA pine blocks, She experimented with imagination. For example, carefully removing enough planks to add a door into a finished 'house'. Each of us built with our own style. At some point I got to play granddad hero by dismantling my structure to give her more planks. The box had a girl building with the planks on the cover. Made me so happy. I'm so old that when I was a kid girls weren't expected to build with such sets.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Once again, I was too busy to have time for mindless snacking. Dinner was grilled salmon, baked winter squash cubes with onions and cranberries, green beans, and my green salad.


onebyone - I share your sadness for the loss of your torn black velvet Elvis painting - such an iconic painting, right up there with the kids with huge eyes. Continue to wish you well defeating the bureaucrats between you and Mounjaro.

Joy (gardenerjoy) – Good reminder that we carry our notions about eating from early childhood. Yep, balance is the holy grail.

maryann – Approaching William Sonoma with $22 is some optimism. Congrats for the success. Enjoyed the "Irish Homeland" skit.

curlyjax – I'd forgotten that years ago it was routine to drive in the snow; yesterday was a recent first for me, also. A planned small serving of chocolate is such a Dr. Beck strategy.

Readers -

I succumbed to a veggie quesadilla at work; tastes wonderful but actually not that much protein so I was hungry later. After work I went to the lawyer to sign my will, trust, POA etc. He was very thorough and explained things well. They're going to organize it into a binder and then I'll figure out where to store that. I'm so relieved to have this done finally. At home I did more adulting by calling my investment agencies to see what was where. I'm consolidating everything into one finally but it's taking time. And then worked on getting tax documents for my aunt's friend who is doing her taxes again. Whew! Then this morning I just discovered I sent him the wrong thing, oops. Gosh this is challenging. I am very grateful I still have the brain power to deal with it, and am determined to leave things set up better for myself as I age and for my kids.
It's late, wave to all!

Coaches,

Yesterday was OP. 2 pounds from ticker.

I love the new weight training challenges but I was physically exhausted yesterday. I have a two day pattern of an hour of yard work right after the gym instead of cardio on the treadmill. Great for getting things done but by 1:00 I was exhausted. The bed topper and other bedding came for my new room. By the time I had assembled everything I literally fell on the bed and slept 2 hours. Feels good to be so productive. I hope for the same schedule today. Tonite I chair a woman's meeting at 5:30. Tomorrow I am up early and off to the cabin for 4 days to finally ski. I want to get my money's worth from the ski pass. Dr. has semi-ok'd it

My area made national news: Del Monte canning is now bankrupt and has cancelled all its contracts. Farmers around here have many, many of those contracts. Our walnut coop declared bankruptcy stealing 300,000 from us. It is super rough in ag right now with no end in sight. DH is working overtime. So glad we have lots of options. One is selling both this house and the River House and moving in to the ranch office. I think we are a long way from that but it is there as a back up. After offering many time to help in anyway, DH has asked me to pick up some household expense like my gas. I know we will be fine but a game is always motivating. Hence my : March Money Madness : Day 5: I received $192 dividend from REI and inquired into getting a check for it. They no longer offer that. So I ask the Chatter what to do. It recommended buying a Yeti there and offering a discount on Marketplace. Then I remembered I had an extra Yeti. DH had won a hard shell won at a meeting. I had a soft shell one I didn't like because of the famed waterproof zipper teeth scraping my hands. So I have it now listed with 2 interested at $125. If it sells I might do the same at REI.

Curly: Greatest act of services is to keep things tidy for our children.
BBE: It is a loving caretaker's solemn duty to destroy their creations for our charges.
Onebyone: This wrinkle will iron out and you will be on a new journey.

Coaches:
I can report that I received the paperwork back from the Dr for the Mounjaro prescription. Tomorrow I'll print the PDF out at Staples and have Staples fax it to the insurance. I'm glad to wrap my end of that up. I probably won't start the medication until a week from next Monday. 5-7 working days I was told to receive approval. I can wait. I'm hoping it helps me.

So today I spent a long time at the grocery store. I left with some good things and some poorer faire.

Also today, I completed the chaise clear up but got no further. The dishwasher will be cleared once I send this to you guys. I just sat around a lot.and felt unmotivated.

I did make myself prepare material for tomorrow's Art Day session. My art friends texted me to ask if I was going and to encourage me to go and work on my painting for the spring show. That's what they are doing tomorrow. So we will all work on our spring show submissions. We are to use a square canvas and paint on the subject of "germinate". I have my reference images. I'm looking forward to painting.

Guess that's it. I'm off to bed.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Success with my computer: I brought it to the computer center where I'd purchased it to have the headphone jack fixed. Went early. I was second in line; fifteen minutes later there were five folks behind me. After demonstrating to himself that his headphones didn't work in the jack in my computer and that the computer was generating sound through its other outlet, he said they'd have to take it back for further analysis, starting price $49.99. Well and good with that until, "We'll let you know within 24 to 48 hours what the parts and labor might be." Ouch! I know they'll have to figure it out to tell me what it'll cost, but didn't expect the 24 to 48 hours part. "Sometimes, sooner - we just can't promise." I left it feeling adrift. The good news: It was ready by 3pm. And even better: no additional charge. They only had to remove some conflicting drivers (small software routines). The tech did clean the fan leaving me wondering if cleaning the fan on a laptop is a routine maintenance that one should be doing. I've never heard that. So I type on it right now.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. I'd felt a strong need for a snack when I was at home not knowing the fate of my laptop. I have plenty to read, but I normally waste time on my laptop. Had to remember that food doesn't fix anxiety. Nor laptops, LOL. Dinner was turkey burgers with grilled onions, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, brioche bun, tator tots, and my green salad. We discussed whether it was a healthy meal, deciding more or less so. Turkey is more healthy than beef, but brioche bun is white flour despite tasting so good. Tator tots were a mix since they certainly had less oil than, say, French fries from a fast food place. But even though baked, they're manufactured with enough oil to give them the yummy taste.


onebyone - Congrats for one more step forward toward Mounjaro. The subject of "germinate" has so many possibilities.

maryann – Offer my condolences for the Del Monte canning bankruptcy. What a tragedy. Wish you well figuring a path forward through that. Neat that you can get in some skiing before Spring arrives.

curlyjax – Congrats for getting your estate stuff executed. Consolidating your investments is such a neat gift to make life easier for your kids.

Readers -

Another busy day at work, which I much prefer. I did indulge in a hotdog-and tator tots just like you Bill. I know hotdogs are so bad for you but I do enjoy it once and awhile. A lot of good interactions with folks. I was wiped out with listening and task details to remember. I was tired but forced myself to go to the gym, which peps me up for a bit afterwards. I ended up eating the rest of my lunch salad for dinner, then had popcorn as I was still hungry. That was quite satisfying. I decided it was a good evening to just veg, my brain needed a rest. so I just watched tv for eons and managed to get to sleep at a decent time. I was so tempted to make a microwave brownie but in the end realized I wasn't actually hungry and I abstained.
I just realized last night Daylight Savings is this weekend-wow, spring really is coming soon.
Maryann-I'm so sorry about the closing and bankruptcy. I'm sure it is a scary time to be in Ag. Yet what would we do without the farmers? Great idea to make a motivating game.
Onebyone-Art session sounds very fun. I definitely have days where i'm less motivated to do -well anything really.
Bill-yay for success with the computer, and at no extra charge. I feel like you bought that recently and it shouldn't have any problems, geez.

Coaches,

Easy day. I spent another hour after the gym to rake the lawn. The rest of the day I lounged around and finished a book. Food had some not-tragic missteps. The solution is getting my Fairlife drinks back from Sam's club. I had been putting it off to use up inferior protein powder but it was easier to reach for half a pretzel than make a smoothie.

Today I am up and dressed in my wool thermal underwear to go skiing. It should be a beautiful day if the wind doesn't get too extreme. My whole body is one big sore muscle after three days of ramped up workouts.

Wave to all.

Diet Coaches/Buddies - Exercise was walking, CREDIT moi, to and from the subway and Jordon Hall in Boston to attend a splendid concert. Enjoyed the old chestnut, Mozart's 40th Symphony. I've heard it a zillion times and never tire of it. New to us was Haydn's Missa in Angustiis ("Mass in a Time of Anxiety"). Composed in 1798 when Haydn was confined to his room by his doctor because he was ill. He used the time to compose the mass in one month. The name changed to Lord Nelson Mass since Admiral Horatio Nelson had just destroyed Napoleon's fleet at Aboukir. I do enjoy trying to learn about music, but have a hard time keeping up with how many times Napoleon was defeated. And knowing that Admiral Horatio Nelson's stature is in London's Trafalgar Square with kids feeding pigeons didn't help me figure out that Aboukir is a coastal town in Egypt.

Eating was on plan with no daytime snacks, CREDIT moi. Dinner was rushed to get out of the house to leave plenty of time for the subway. Smart move since some incident delayed all the subways and we reached our seats only 10 minutes before the concert began. Dinner was a white bean dish with a new-to-us sourdough bread. Made me long to get back to San Francisco to get the real stuff.


maryann – Hope your "one big sore muscle" body gives you a good ski day. Thermal underwear is the greatest invention ever.

curlyjax – Interesting that listening intently can be so tiring. Congrats for a brownie not taken.

Readers -

I ended up helping with doing dishes at work which is exhausting but exercise anyhow. Part of work that is also exhausting is tiptoeing around people's feelings, listening to sad stories, feeling irritated that one person is a bit of a slacker, etc. I love the social element but its tiring too at times. I went home and took a brief nap, then BFF and I set out for an hour's drive for an evening out. We had a good barbecue sandwich, just the right size. Someone was incredibly rude to me at the restaurant and it stuck with me for a bit, but BFF helped me brush it off. We sat at long tables at a comedy show. There was an opener and the main person, both of whom were funny but a lot more sexual than I thought it would be. I'm no prude but I was getting a bit tired of the verbiage and the themes. I am quite impressed with folks who manage to keep their comedy more clean and still very funny. Anyhow it was fun to go out,and great to be home at a decent hour.
I'm meeting collegefriend for coffee this am and then the rest of the day to myself thankfully. I'm feeling a bit over loaded with talking and listening. The big thing to continue work on today is taxes and paperwork. And clean eating! It occurs to me my weight might be exacerbating my sore tendon as well.
Maryann-BFF loves those Fairlife drinks too; good source of protein.
Bill-your night out sounds much more civilized than mine

We had thunder overnight that shook the ground. Not great conditions for sleeping.

My weight is back in my maintenance range for the first time since November. Now, the trick is to keep it that way. This year’s plan is to not gain weight in November and December so that I don’t have to work so hard at the beginning of 2027 to get it back off again.

Two big days of exercise probably helped. I’m going to Jefferson City next week with a few friends. That’s a day that will involve lots of walking in our very large capitol building, but also lots of driving, so probably not as many exercise minutes as I usually manage. I wanted to bank some minutes this week to make up for that.

Exercise: 80, 390/1800 minutes for March

Coaches,

Skiing, as always, provided great exercise. The wind was super cold. I took a lunch break of a miso ramen bowl of chicken. yum. I was hoping the wind would let up in the afternoon. No go. The beauty of a season pass is I don't have to get my money out of a day pass - which is up to $200 on weekends. Off to the cabin I went, happy as a clam. Food was maintenance again. I need to become more disciplined. I did get all my protein. Today is a new day and i have my Fairlife drinks now at hand. Today I am going cross country skiing.

Money-Saving March: I said good buy to my once a month housecleaner. I hate to see this line item go but her one afternoon cost the same as 5 cross country skiing passes. Cleaning myself ADDS exercise to my life in many ways. That is a good direction. OK, I need to get some kind of cleaning schedule going. I am still back up in the yards but that is getting better. Just three hours of total work last week made a big difference. Things are starting to come together as I navigate a post traveling world.

Curly: You and your BFF certainly get around. That is wonderful.
BBE: Hard not to love the Mozart Symphony.